Folkunga College- Linköping, Sweden

The teacher are going to work in pairs during the rest of the year, they will observe and give feedback on each other's lessons.

The college requested a whole day's lecture + workshop on “Coaching Conversations” which will form the basis for carrying out observations and coaching feedback of teachers lessons.

Tools

We taught the teachers to use these tools:

AFORM - for creating a new working relationship, and the steps to take before, during and after the observation.

GROW - for structuring the coaching feedback, and as a guide in the formalisation of the observer role.

SMART - for designing better goals.

The Trainers

It's always better to collaborate, especially when there are 50+ teachers to support.

Alexandra Tittus

Martin Richards

Results

Here's a quick translation of the feedback from teachers at
Folkungagymnasiet, it was originally in Swedish.

What did you get from this lecture
and workshop? What gave you the most?

Thinking about the agreements before coaching conversation Keeping the dogs out of the way The Conversation structures A positive impression of this way of working An enjoyable lecture Knowledgeable lecturers The structures AFORM, SMART, GROW Good to have suggestions of questions The exercises in pairs and threes was good. Important to practice I learned that coaching questions need
not be so complicated. Simple questions, that are not judging or with
advice, give a great deal Good to work in groups of three The questioning technique The ready-made questions were useful Important how one views the role of coach Asking open questions more difficult than I thought Practising not being too much of yourself and coming up with
your own questions Interesting question is and a good structure for the base for
coaching conversations At last we've got started with something that has been
discussed for a long time AFORM, SMART, GROW The importance of creating trust and and an alliance Tips regarding questions you can use How to hold a coaching conversation Examples issues we can look at How to observe The exercises in combination with the tools New thoughts regarding the coach role and what it means I now
have a greater understanding of how I should act as a coach The GROW concept The dogs! I got the most from the alignment conversation before the
coaching conversation The positive things about coaching The importance of having an agreement about what to focus on You were positive clear examples, a good start to the coming
work Structures to guide us We had a good day thanks I believe that coaching can give new insights and develop new
ways for teachers to think. It's good to have a little structure
around the questions and structures that we can use when we coach Smart goals specific measurable et cetera What gave me the most was to start thinking along these lines I've learned about the different models and I know that I'm
going to use these models and tools in the continued work I think the
exercises, and the insight on how important it is to have the
alignment conversation before we start working, gave the most I have a greater knowledge of how to give feedback to my
colleagues and how to give support and help by asking open questions Being open as observer I learned several new concepts and abbreviations that I've
never heard of before, this will be of great help when I continue my
education as a teacher. Different kinds of models that can be used to guide the
conversation The group activity in threes this afternoon gave the most These structures in the conversation The first discussion where we should plan the next lesson
observation gave the most Good to have tips about the different stages in the
conversation and tips about what to think about both as an observer,
and the teacher who is receiving feedback Useful to test this in groups of three, in this way we learn
the tools and learn about each other. I feel better prepared for this
task The dogs! The tools for the conversations The dogs (not letting them take over) To have the right focus i.e. not on me An interesting and rewarding day I am inspired to get started
together with some colleagues I think that the coaching conversations can lead to further
good conversations about teaching and learning at the school The best part was your attitude and that you focused on the
importance of having trust and showing respect for the person you are
observing and coaching That you get somewhere in the conversation The best part was the coaching exercises, especially in threes Practical tips Structures for coaching The kinds of questions How to coach in general The best part was to see the teachers on stage How to work with observation and feedback There was a good connection between theory and practical
exercises I have greater awareness of what coaching means and the
difficulty in asking the right questions and not judging or valuing. How important it is to know what the goal is not to give up
without asking follow-up questions The best part of your experience and the two demonstrations I have learned the conversation models AFORM and GROW and hope
they will help me in the future For me the best part was coaching and
being coached by my colleagues A reminder to listen and ask questions from what I hear, not
what I think is relevant The best part was when you demonstrated coaching with volunteer
teachers in front of the group The importance of active listening Keeping the dogs away - don't have to give advice The importance of asking powerful questions The best was insights on all the above, the film about the nail
and having tested asking questions and thought about self assessment How difficult it is just put words to what it is you want to
have observed The best was the questions for the coaching conversation and
your experiences The importance of active listening without getting involved in
what the teacher says and then the reflections that come from it That it is important to be in agreement on what specifically
shall be observed For me the best was the exercise with three roles.